Friday, June 29, 2012

Happy Friday everyone! I am so excited the weekend is finally here because I'll be heading to NYC again. I'm helping my sister move and settle into the big city so it'll be a weekend filled with unpacking and waiting for furniture delivery. Knowing us, we'll make sure to try and squeeze in a little shopping;)

I bought this dress during my last visit to NYC and was drawn to the simple cut and design of this dress. I was actually debating if I should buy the dress because I already have a lot of striped items in my closet but the price tag ($9.95) was too good to pass up. I added a belt to this dress so it could accentuate my waist and give a bit of shape to the dress. I couldn't help adding a pop of blue from the necklace that's been on rotation lately.

Whatever you do this weekend, I hope it's fun, relaxed, and involves good food. Have a great weekend.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

This madras plaid button down has easily been one of my favorite purchases this summer. I wore it HERE with denim shorts to downplay the preppiness of the shirt but today I wanted to pair it with khaki pants to show that it can also transition into work appropriate attire. Pile on fun jewelry (or not) and you are ready to go to work dressed stylishly;)

Monday, June 25, 2012

Happy Monday everyone! I know I usually do my usual weekend updates post for you on Monday, but today is a little different. CAPFabb, which is an organization of DC fashion bloggers that I'm a part of, is hosting a neon style challenge. (Check out other blogger entries here!) I actually wasn't going to participate on this challenge because I don't own any neon clothing in my closet but I stopped by J.Crew over the weekend because they were having an extra 30% off sale items and was immediately drawn to this neon pink knit sweater. It's a lightweight knit which is perfect for the spring/summer and I imagine many different ways to pair this color with. It's a great new addition to my closet=)

Do you have any neon items in your closet that you've been wearing lately?

Saturday, June 23, 2012

I'd like to think I'm somewhat of a good host. I watched my mom go above and beyond when it came to prepping food for her invited guests and have always admired her for that. She told me that one of the ways your can show love towards your friends is through food.

A couple of weeks ago, I invited my good friend over my home for brunch and decided to bake her a quiche. I love quiches because there are so many different ingredients you could incorporate to make variations of a quiche, depending on your liking. She never had quiche before so I decided to keep the ingredients simple and by simple I mean bacon, onion, and cheese. Who doesn't love any of those three glorious key players?

The morning she came over over, she had two slices of my quiche and was debating on a third one so I'm gonna safely assume she loved the quiche. The great thing about quiches is that it can yield many slices to feed at least 4-5 people and since it was just the two of us I had at least half the pie leftover.

This is where having a boy in your life comes in handy. I offered him the leftovers the following morning and he practically finished the entire leftovers. He had three slices and was actually debating on a 4th slice but I had to deny him at that point. It was for his own good. Portion control, honey. Portion control.

A couple of changes I made in this recipe is that I used turkey bacon (that's all I had in the fridge) and I used a store bought pie crust instead of making one from scratch. So what!

Whenever the weekend comes around I like to take time with breakfast food and what better way to impress your significant other/friends this weekend then by presenting them with a warm quiche right out of the oven? Trust me, they'll love you for it and will keep asking you for another slice. That's a good thing. It's their way of saying in between bites that this stuff is legit.

Procedure
1. Preheat the oven 400 F. Begin by rolling out the pie dough.
2. Gently lay it in a large tart or deep dish pie pan (I used a 9-inch pie pan) and press it in the grooves in the pan. Set aside.
3. Chop up the cooked bacon into bite size pieces.
4. In a heavy skilled over medium low heat, fry fry the onions in the butter until deep golden brown, 12-15 minutes.
5. Mix the eggs, cream and salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the bacon, onions and cheese and stir to combine.
6. Pour the filling into the pie shell, cover lightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Removed the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the quiche i set and the crust is golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Leather in the summer can be a bit tricky. If the weather is too humid, leather can stick to your body and well, that's not exactly the most comfortable thing. I wore this outfit a couple days ago while meeting a friend for lunch when we had comfortable, sunny weather and paired it with a loose fitting linen button down. Since the colors of the outfit are neutral, I couldn't resist adding a pop of color from this recently purchased necklace bought at H&M. The gorgeous shade of blue reminds me of blue waters somewhere exotic and well that certainly says summer.

We're supposed to be getting a heat wave that's supposed to last into the weekend so these shorts will be going back into the closet but once the heat wave passes, she'll be coming out again=)

Monday, June 18, 2012

1. Woke up really early with the boy to grab breakfast together. He had an 8am golf tournament he was participating in that was going to take up most of the day so we decided to wake up early to at least grab coffee and pastries together.

2. Started to really consider possibly painting the sun room area of my place. I finally decided which blinds I wanted to install and then I started to think about paint colors for the wall. I have some possible colors in mind after looking through the HGTV magazine.

3. Finally got around to buying seeds for some herbs I want to grow. My parent's grow basil, parsley, and cilantro in their garden which inspired me to grow my own basil and cilantro (two of my favorite herbs to cook with during the summer).

4. Cooked Greek lasagna for the first time which turned out to be awesome. The boy and I ate 3 pieces EACH. I'm such a pig sometimes=P

5. Celebrated Carlis of SpicyCandy's birthday. She's a fellow fashion blogger I met awhile back whom I developed a friendship with. We all met at her new place in DC and went out to a bar afterwards to continue the celebration. Hope you had fun that night girl.

6. Received an email on Friday from an editor from The Huffington Post asking to feature my recipe for the salted caramel mug cake from awhile ago. Needless to say, I am STOKED. Please check out the feature HERE today!

Friday, June 15, 2012

This trip to NYC wasn't my first time to the city. I've been there several times over the past years but each time is a treat. New York City is a mecca for food and fashion which are obvious passions of mine so I try to indulge in a bit of both areas every time I visit. My sister is moving there at the end of this month so I'll definitely be frequenting the city more often;)

Have you been to NYC and if so, where are some of your favorite go to places?

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Hi everyone! I'm back from my mini vacation and am somewhat ready to get back to the daily grind. The weather in NYC was perfect to walk around in, the food places I went to were amazing and the shopping was successful;) I'll have a NYC post up for you tomorrow so please stay tuned for that=)

During the summer, (for me) the perfect, simplest outfit one can wear is a white tee/tank and denim shorts. There's something very casual yet chic about that look if worn right. I like to add a blazer as the finishing touch so the overlook is polished if I'm going out to dinner, meeting with friends, or need a light jacket for the evening. Depending on where you go, you can either add more accessories to the look, change out the shoes to a sexy pair of heels, or do both! It's a great canvas to start with to build around the outfit.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Happy Friday everyone! I couldn't be happier that Friday is finally here because I'm officially on a week long vacation from work. Work has been a bit stressful so this mini vacation couldn't have come at a better time.

It's been a year since I've visited NYC so I decided that a visit is long overdue. I'm going to spend several days there to shop, eat at my favorite places in the city/explore new ones, and just relax.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to have my 'Weekend Snapshots' for you on Monday since I'm still debating on bringing my laptop for the trip. After all, I am on vacation;) In the meantime, I'm sure I'll update my vacation activities on twitter so you can follow me @NomNomBlngBlng if you're not already!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

During the summer time, I like to use accessories such as a light scarf or interesting shoes to add another dimension to a simple outfit. I have a collection of scarves that are wearable through all the seasons and was immediately attracted to the colors of the one I'm wearing. I bought it during a girls only trip to New Orleans while shopping with my friends so it has a good memory attached to it=)

Monday, June 4, 2012

1. Had a craving for my favorite Poutine at Victoria's Gastro Pub. It's a French-Canadian dish of french fries, cheese, and gravy but this restaurant deep fries their french fries in duck fat and adds duck meat as another topping. It is really, really good. The lobster grilled cheese is also a favorite menu item of mine. Nom.

2. Watched Snow White and the Huntsmen. The cinematics were incredible and the acting by Charlize Theron was on point. She played the evil witch perfectly. Kristen Stewart didn't have much lines in this movie which was proabably a good thing. She's improving from her days from Twilight but I still have my reservations on her acting skills. Meh.

3. Went to HoneyPig with friends to indulge in Korean BBQ. Each table in the restaurant has it's own grill so you basically grill the meat at your table with the occasional help from the waitresses. It's my usual go to place for decent Korean bbq for a reasonable price.

4. Shopped for blinds. I have 3 large window panels I need to find shades for and have had a headache of a time looking for blinds. The details in blind shopping are extensive and the prices are expensive. Sigh. I could probably buy a Chanel purse with the price I've been quoted.

5. Ate my favorite Korean summer dessert, paht bing soo (shaved ice). There's a fairly new Korean bakery that opened up in Annandale, VA called Breeze Bakery that has the most amazing shaved ice. I really love gelato so naturally got the gelato shaved ice. The shaved ice is topped with fresh fruits, mochi, condensed milk, and sweet red bean. This is the perfect dessert to have on a hot, summer day.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Basil is one of my favorite herbs to use during the summer. I love the earthy smell to it and how much of a herb-y flavor profile it adds to dishes. Growing my own basil means that pesto is heavy on rotation and Caprese salad (my faaaavorite summer salad) is also made frequently. If there's a recipe that uses basil, I'm all over that piece.

Perhaps it's because the ingredients involved reminded me of a Caprese salad that really got my intrigued but truth be told, I was a bit skeptic at how this recipe would taste when I first came across it. Being Asian, I'm used to having my rice unadorned and pretty much keeping it simple.

But I'm a curious one. I like to try new things and rarely will I say no.Unless it involves snakes.

So basically I found another dish to add to my favorite recipe list. This dish is the perfect summer recipe because it has light and bright flavors that shine through with each bite. The nutty Parmesan cheese mixed in with the freshness of the tomatoes and basil is prominent through and through, especially since a heavy dressing isn't involved. It's a simple (yay!), delicious dish involving healthy ingredients that is filling enough to eat as main dish OR could be eaten as side dish. I think I just gave you a two for one deal.

2. Toss cooled rice, tomato, Parmesan, and basil together in large bowl. Whisk vinegar, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in small bowl. Whisking constantly, drizzle in oil. Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.